In A Glance
by neverdoubtthatiamthelightening
Summary: The Ohio Show Choir Masquerade Ball sounds like a horrible idea. Kurt is not even sure why he went, until he meets a pair of honey-gold eyes from across a crowded room...
1. Chapter 1

Kurt wasn't entirely sure about this. As far as he was concerned, this really hadn't been one of Mr. Schuester's best ideas. He knew that the Ohio Show Choir Winter Formal was supposed to be about making new friends and fair play and all of that, but he was pretty sure that everyone else was just here to scope out the competition. He knew for sure that was what Rachel had planned for the evening. He would have to remember to keep an eye on her, and make sure she stayed away from Sunshine Corazon – lest she attempt to send her to another crack house or something. Never a dull moment with the New Directions, that was for sure. On the upside though, he did get to dress up, and his costume was nothing short of fabulous.

His outfit was relatively simple, and classic: a white dress shirt, covered by a silvery vest, black dress pants, and a tiny little black cape at the back. The finishing touch was a beautiful silver mask- after all, what was a masquerade ball without a mask? The lines of it flowing along and enhancing his high cheek bones, while the silver stood out starkly against his naturally flushed cheeks. He was a vision. Or at least that was what Mercedes had told him, and Kurt would take the compliment wherever it came from. He didn't want to be narcissistic or anything, but he did quite enjoy being told when he looked nice.

He glanced around the ballroom, watching his friends dance together. Brittany and Mike were carving up the dance floor, showing off their moves to an upbeat song. Kurt giggled, tapping his foot along with the music. The song ended, and Mercedes plopped herself down in the chair next to him.

"Kurt! Why aren't you dancing? You need to show off your moves!"

"Oh, you know. Just checking out some of the competition. I thought I would make sure we got some intel while the rest of you were off slacking and having fun" he said jokingly.

"Checking out the competition, eh? Well. Don't look now… but more of our competition just walked in…."

Kurt whipped his head around, trying his best to see. He had to crane his neck a bit and scooch up in his chair before he saw them. But when he did…

"Oh…" he said breathlessly. He couldn't think of anything else to say. He couldn't think. He couldn't _breathe_. Reminding himself to inhale, he turned back to Mercedes and tried to insert himself back into their conversation.

"…The Warblers… Kurt?"

_The Warblers._

* * *

><p>Blaine pulled his simple black mask down over his eyes, and stepped into the gymnasium at the head of the Warbler pack. Earlier in the week, there had been an hour-long debate over whether or not they would wear their uniforms to the Formal or not, but in the end it had been decided that each boy could choose his own outfit. Blaine had to admit that he was somewhat at a loss—he had never been terribly fashionable, and found the identical Dalton uniforms both comforting and convenient.<p>

Left to his own devices, he had chosen simply. A black dress shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks. Where those like Wes and Jeff had opted to showcase their personalities in more vibrant colours, Blaine had picked an outfit that he felt allowed him to blend easily into the background.

He had no trouble recalling what had happened to him at the last co-ed dance he attended, and he had no intentions of repeating that incident.

However, when he had stood in front of his mirror before leaving his house, he had been blind to the way that the collar of his simple black shirt framed the hollow at the base of his throat. And that the plain mask highlighted his thickly lashed eyes, their colour almost tawny gold against the monochrome black.

As the Warblers fanned out behind him, Blaine was unaware of the striking image he projected. The gaggle of colourful and excited boys spilling into the dance floor only drew attention to his unintentionally elegant figure. A raven lost in a flock of songbirds.

Drawing in a breath to steady himself, Blaine quickly scanned the room. The streamers and the multi-coloured lights had turned McKinley's gym into the traditional high school dance floor, and he fought to suppress memories of the fear and pain he had endured after his last night of such festivity.

Inexplicably, he found his gaze drawn to the table where he recognized the female soloist from New Directions sitting, presumably with her fellow Show Choir members. Beside her, he could just make out the profile of a boy wearing an elaborate silver mask. There was something about his cheeks, the blush of excitement under the most delicate skin, that had Blaine taking an unconscious step forward.

* * *

><p>Kurt slid slowly back into his chair, ripping his gaze away from the Warblers, and one of the single most hauntingly beautiful people that he had ever seen in his entire life. He had been staring, and his father had told him once that staring was rude. But he just couldn't help it. There was just something so alluring about the other boy, and Kurt could not put his finger on it.<p>

Mercedes and Rachel were going on about something or other, Kurt didn't know. He didn't even care. Nothing mattered except the dark haired boy that had just walked into the gym. He squirmed in his chair a little bit, and risked another quick peek back at the Warblers. To his surprise, he noticed a pair of gold-brown eyes staring right back at him, he caught those eyes with his for just a moment, and quickly turned back around. It hadn't been much, just a flicker of gold behind heavy dark eyelashes, but Kurt couldn't help but feel like those eyes had been looking directly at _him. _

That couldn't be right though, could it? No way. There was no way that Warbler had been staring at him, right? Right. This was crazy, he was being crazy. Totally cra-

"Kurt? Are you okay?" Rachel asked him, concern in her voice.

"Wha-? Um. Yeah. Totally. Everything is totally awesome."

For the briefest second blue-grey eyes met his, and Blaine felt his breath catch in his throat. Then the moment had passed, and the boy had turned back to his friends. Not allowing himself to feel dejected, Blaine turned back to the Warblers.

"Well, boys, why don't we make our presence known?" He nodded towards the stage where the DJ played, but a microphone stood conspicuously empty. Grinning, the flock turned as one and, skirting the dance floor, moved onto the stage.

Wes stepped over and had a quiet word with the DJ, as Blaine stepped up to the mic. Silence fell as the music slid to a stop, and every eye in the room turned to face the stage. Grasping the stand in one hand, he brought his lips to the microphone and began to sing, with the rest of his Warblers doowop-ing in perfect eight part harmony behind him.

"_Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine, I'm leaving my life in your hands. People say I'm crazy and that I am blind—risking it all in a glance." _

Unbidden, his gaze fell once again to the table in the back, where he had seen the beautiful boy in the silver mask.


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, shit… _

Kurt sat at the back of the room, mouth agape, his delicate features furrowed into a look of deep concentration. He was trying to come to terms with exactly what he had just witnessed; he was both thoroughly confused and amazed in equal parts. Not only had the Warblers had just come out on stage and seamlessly two-stepped to a perfectly arranged a capella version of a Backstreet Boys song, but they were _GOOD_… they were really good.

Kurt was amazed that a group of singing boys could unnerve him so much. Well, perhaps it wasn't the group of boys per se… just the one boy. The one with the beautiful dark curly hair, that Kurt inexplicably wanted to run his fingers through, the golden honey eyes that he could just stare into forever, and his _voice_. The way he had sung that song! It was like he had been singing it to Kurt, and Kurt alone. He had felt the Warbler's eyes on him from the beginning, and had been entirely transfixed until the song finished minutes later.

Actually, if he was going to be totally and completely honest with himself, he was still transfixed. He had watched the Warblers as they had finished their performance, all of them clapping each other on the backs, and laughing as they took their seats on the other side of the room. Kurt had tried not to be too disheartened that they had taken seats that were so far away… Why were they so far away? There were plenty of seats that they could have taken closer by to his… Maybe he had misread the signs; maybe Kurt had just happened to be in that Warbler's line of vision… oh God. What if he had made the whole thing up in his head… he did tend to do that…

Head spinning, Kurt stood up quickly, almost knocking over the chair next to him. Recovering quickly from his sudden movement, Kurt turned to Rachel, who was looking at him with the most peculiar expression.

"I'll be right back," he told her, eyes looking around wildly.

He needed to leave the room. He needed to be somewhere that wasn't where he was. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he just couldn't. What he really needed was to be away from that Warbler. Even from across the room he was doing things to Kurt, making him feel things that he had never experienced before. He was going insane, like, actually. Kurt had thought he'd gone crazy before, but those times had been nothing in comparison to what he was feeing right now. He couldn't get the Warbler's pretty face, his eyes, or his peculiar triangular eyebrows out of his head. He wanted nothing more than to pull that face towards him, place soft kisses to those long luxurious eyelashes, to feel those soft lips against his. He wanted strong arms to wrap around him, holding him tightly….

He could feel a flush beginning to rise on his porcelain cheeks, and he was suddenly glad that he had his mask to help hide his embarrassment. _Score one for the masquerade ball, Mr. Schue_… he thought as he choked down a small giggle in his throat. He quickened his pace, as he pushed through the doorway, taking in a large gulp of air as he did. He continued down the hall for a bit, sighed, and slid down the nearest wall until he was sitting, legs outstretched on the cold concrete floor. The wall felt cool on the back of his neck, a complete contrast to the fire that was burning on his face. He was _SO_ embarrassed. God, what was wrong with him? Burying his face in his hands, he shook his head slowly, waiting, hoping, that sanity would somehow return to him.

Blaine leaned back in his chair and glanced over at the punch table. He was always incredibly thirsty after finishing a solo—and it didn't help that with all the bodies in the gym it was about a hundred degrees-but he didn't think that the sugary sweet punch would do him much good. Running a hand through his thick hair, he turned to Jeff.

"I'll be right back, I need some water."

Used to Blaine's habits by now, Jeff nodded distractedly and turned back to his conversation with David.

Not sure of the layout of McKinley, Blaine headed for the nearest door. Outside of the gym it was immediately quieter, and he took a second to lean back against the closed door. The air felt cool on his cheeks, which were still flushed—and not just from the energetic performance.

The image of the boy in the silver mask with the sweet, clear eyes was still in the forefront of Blaine's mind. Sucking in a breath he shook his head, and tried to rid himself of the thoughts that were creeping through his skull.

He was out, out and proud. But… the slightly crooked pinkie finger on his left hand served as a reminder that just because he was comfortable with who he was, didn't mean everyone was. He could not escape the feeling of dread at being at another high school dance, and being entranced by another boy.

Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath before moving into the darkened hallway. There would be a fountain nearby, and the cold water would clear his head.

Passing what seemed to be the fifth classroom (and still no water fountain), Blaine caught a glimpse of movement just up ahead. It was still too dark to make out any details, but he could see the outline of a person sitting against the floor. Assuming that they'd needed to get a breather like himself, he headed towards them.

"Hey, I don't suppose you know where to find a water fountain? Man, it is hot in that gym!"

Kurt jumped at the sound of the voice calling out through the hallway. He looked up, eyes wide, entirely expecting to be picked up and shoved into the locker. His features changed to those of confusion when he saw the Warbler standing just above him, eyes curious.

"Huh?" Kurt replied quietly, inwardly cursing his stupidity. Why couldn't he say anything coherent? It was like this boy had completely wiped him of all of his wits.

"Water fountains? I don't suppose you have those here at McKinley?" The Warbler asked him, eyebrows raised.

Kurt gave himself a little shake, pushing himself off of a locker so he was standing.

"Sure, Warbler, follow me." He said, striding away. He was hopefully exuding more confidence than he was feeling inside. His heart gave the teeniest little flutter as he felt the Warbler fell into step beside him. Actually, it was more than a little flutter. He glanced sideways at the other boy, and the beating in his chest sped up.

The two boys walked a few steps in silence, and Kurt wondered if the other boy could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest. He assumed not, but it felt as loud to him as if there was a jackhammer pounding on the floor right beside them.

"I'm Kurt, by the way" he said breaking the silence.

"Blaine" said the other boy, holding out his hand for Kurt to shake.

Kurt took Blaine's hand in his, and shook it firmly. It seemed to Kurt, as if they held their hands for just a second or two more than would be deemed appropriate for a proper handshake… but his head was reeling. He had no idea how much actual time had passed. He looked down slightly at the other boy, and their eyes locked for the briefest of moments. Then suddenly, as if burned, they dropped their hands and looked away from each other, embarrassed.

"So… you guys were really good back there," Kurt started awkwardly. "I've never heard anyone do the Backstreet Boys in eight part harmony. Very impressive!" He let out a small giggle, inwardly cursing. Ugh! Why, oh why did he have to do _that_?

"Thanks," Blaine grinned, his eyes sparkling behind his mask. He had suggested the number, and was delighted that it had gone as well as he'd hoped.

As pleased as the compliment had made him, it could not take his mind off of the way Kurt's hand had felt in his own. It had fit into his perfectly. In fact, everything about this encounter with the beautiful boy in the silver mask seemed too good to actually be happening. A part of him was convinced that he was making it up in his head—the Gap-attack incident with Jeremiah remained fresh in his mind.

Kurt silently gestured ahead of them, and Blaine spotted the water fountain. He stepped up to it and took a long drink, closing his eyes in pleasure as the cold water hit his throat.

After his final swallow, he straightened up and wiped the last drops of water from his lips. He was conscious of the fact that both he and Kurt still wore their masks. It seemed as though taking his off would somehow ruin this moment.

Not that a walk to a water fountain was a moment, a part of him cautioned. Kurt could just be a helpful student. There might be nothing more than kindness here.

Despite the warnings in his mind, he could not help himself from bringing his eyes up to meet Kurt's. Or the way that those clear eyes caused his breath to catch in his throat.

"Kurt…" he paused, unsure how to continue. Unsure if he should. But something drove him to take a step forward, to take Kurt's perfect hand and hold it in his own. "Would you like to get out of here?"


	3. Chapter 3

Kurt's eyes widened in surprise behind his mask.

"What…" he had barely breathed the word, but he and Blaine were so close together that he had no doubt that the other boy had heard him. _Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!_

His heart was singing, and his stomach was filled with flitting butterflies. _Blaine is holding my hand! Blaine wants to leave… with ME!_ He couldn't just leave though, could he? He barely even knew Blaine… What if he was just luring him out into the parking lot to be egged like Rachel had been last year? What if the Warblers were going to beat him up? They did look suspiciously like a gang… What if…

"… I'm sorry! That was incredibly forward… we don't have to… I just meant…" Blaine stammered.

Kurt watched, as Blaine sadly turned his face away from him, and dropped his hand. He didn't like that, not one bit. He wanted the brunette's hand back in his, and he wanted to look into those hazel eyes forever. He loved the way the colour of them changed depending on how he was feeling. He loved that he had the most expressive eyes Kurt had ever seen, even behind a mask. It tore him to pieces to see him look so sad, and in that moment, Kurt knew that he knew a lot more about Blaine than he thought he had a minute ago.

"Blaine?" Kurt grabbed his hand again, and revelled in the way Blaine's fingers fit perfectly in between his.

"Come on, Warbler. I know a great little coffee shop, The Lima Bean, not too far from here… They make a mean non-fat mocha. It's to _DIE_ for."

He couldn't help but notice that Blaine had broken into the biggest, goofiest grin that Kurt had ever seen as they walked down the hall hand in hand. Kurt couldn't help but smile too.

It was the strangest feeling, he had just met Blaine, but the two of them walking hand in hand down the hallway just felt like the easiest thing in the world. They had fallen into an easy comfortable stride, even though the boy beside him was just the slightest bit shorter. The feeling of their hands intertwined together gave Kurt the craziest butterflies, but in the best possible way.

He snuck a quick glance over at Blaine- his eyes were still sparkling behind his mask, the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips. He was just so… lovely. Kurt smiled at him as they reached the end of the hallway.

"Come on, then." Kurt said, as he pushed the door outwards, and pulled Blaine with him into the cool winter air.

After the heat of the gymnasium, the frosty air felt delightful on Blaine's flushed skin. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his hand giving Kurt's a soft squeeze.

"I love winter," he said without opening his eyes. "There is something about the nights. They seem endless." Realizing he probably sounded silly, he opened his eyes and tugged Kurt forward into the street. It was snowing, and the thick flakes drifted down slowly, mingling with the smoke of their breath.

For several minutes the boys walked down the street in silence. The Christmas lights on the houses and in the trees twinkled softly, and the only sound they could hear was the crunch of their shoes on the snow. For having met so shortly before, the quiet could have been awkward, stifling, but instead it felt sacred.

Another silly thought. Blaine knew that he was probably over romanticizing the situation. But in this moment, with snow cascading down and lights dancing like magic while he held the hand of the most achingly beautiful boy—he would have given anything to make this moment go on forever.

He knew that he should be worried. Should be terrified because at any second this could all end. But he wasn't. Something about this endless winter night told him nothing could ruin it. Right now, when the world was still but for the falling snow, nothing would be able to touch them.

He was helpless; dazzled by the perfect boy, by the softly falling snow, by the cheerful glimmer of the Christmas lights. Spellbound by the way that Kurt's smooth palm lay warm against his, and utterly, wondrously, undeniably in love. Like something out of a fairy tale, he had met his prince.

"Kurt." He stopped and turned to the boy, who looked at him quizzically. Blaine's gaze moved from Kurt's soft blue eyes, framed so delicately by the silver mask, to his slightly parted lips. Hyper aware of every movement he made, Blaine stepped closer to Kurt, until they were close enough that the smoke from their breath mingled. He could see Kurt's eyes widen behind his mask, see him take in a shuddering breath.

Moving slowly, ever so slowly, Blaine raised his hand to Kurt's face and brushed back a lock of hair. His fingers trembled as his hand moved to the back of Kurt's neck, brushed gently against the tiny hairs, and brought Kurt's lips down to meet his.

Kurt's eyes widened behind his mask, and his body tensed slightly as he realized what was happening. _ohmygodohmygodohmygod. _HIs body was screaming for him to pull away, but he couldn't he just… oh.

_Oh._

Blaine's lips were on his and it was the most glorious thing he had ever felt in his life. They were so soft, so gentle against his, and he never wanted it to stop. _This is what it was supposed to feel like_ he thought idly to himself, his lips still moving against Blaine's. His eyes fluttered closed as he reached between them to rest his hand against Blaine's cheek, deepening their kiss. The snow continued it's silent lazy dance around them, flakes landing in their hair, and melting on their upturned cheeks.

_**Rah Rah ah ah ah, Roma Roma ma, Ga Ga ooh la la la want your Bad Romance**_

Kurt broke away from Blaine, startled, as his phone rang. _Why didn't you turn off your phone, stupid? _A voice inside him asked. Kurt reached for his phone, but was met with Blaine's hand on his.

"Leave it" he purred into Kurt's ear, warming it with his breath.

"I… I can't…" he said ruefully in reply, shivering from something that certainly wasn't the cold. "It might be Finn, something might have happened to my dad… I… Hello? Oh, Rachel, sweetie… Slow down…. I… He what?" Kurt's eyes eyebrows rose in surprise. "Rachel, I can't… Rachel…Just… Hold on Rachel. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone dejectedly and shot Blaine what he hoped was an appropriately apologetic smile. His friends had the _worst_ timing.

"Blaine…" he started not knowing what to say. Rachel had to go and have some sort of existential crisis just as he had found the man of his dreams. That was typical, so typical. "I… I have to go… I'm so sorry."

He leaned in again just briefly and touched his lips to Blaine's cheek.

"Thank you…" he whispered, and then he was gone. Disappeared in a cascade of swirling snowflakes.


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine's hands were wrapped nervously around his medium drip. Despite the warmth of the coffee, he felt chilled. An ironic contrast to the heat he had felt in the middle of that snow-covered street with Kurt, neither of them wearing jackets, and neither of them feeling the cold.

He had almost turned back three times on his way to the coffee house Kurt had mentioned—The Lima Bean. It was a stupid idea. The odds of Kurt swinging by on Tuesday evening were slim, he was sure. But he had spent the entire weekend replaying their magical night over and over again. Even thinking about it now, about the softness of Kurt's lips against his own, had him biting back a foolish grin.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to check the text he had received.

_Prince Charming show up yet?_

He had spent the greater part of Monday describing his encounter with Kurt to his best friend, Sebastian. Who thought he was blowing the entire thing out of proportion. But Blaine knew that what he had felt with Kurt had been special. And so he had refused to let Sebastian's nay saying deter him. Though now that he finally was here, Blaine did feel a little silly.

This wasn't some sort of romance movie, there was pretty much zero chance that Kurt would just walk into the coffee shop. But he had to try. He had cursed himself all Saturday for not giving Kurt his number, or getting his.

He had been here for an hour already, and it was getting close to 8:00pm. He knew he had to be home soon, or his mother would start to worry. Disheartened, he finished up his coffee and got up from his table to toss it in the garbage.

Just then, the chime over the door dinged.

"Oh my God. FINN, you CAN'T be serious…." Kurt pushed the door to the coffee shop open and pierced Finn with his most withering stare. "It wasn't that bad…" He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Sometimes his step-brother was just so frustrating.

"Dude, he hit on my girlfriend. I mean I know you don't have anything to compare that to, or anything, but it's really not a good feeling."

"Obviously not, but that's no excuse to punch some poor guy's face in… He looked pretty harmless to me…" Thank god for coffee, Kurt was going to need this if he was going to continue this discussion. I'll have one non-fat mocha and… What do you want?" He asked, tilting his head towards Finn who, of course, was not paying attention to him. "Earth to Finn?" He said putting his hand gently on his arm.

"I'll just have whatever you're having I guess… whatever…" Finn turned towards Kurt, a dazed look upon his face. "I mean, why would she do that though, dude? Why would she flirt back at him! She knew I was right there… She knew how sensitive I'd be about it after the whole thing with Quinn and everything last year…"

Kurt turned back to their barista, who was staring at Finn with a coy smile on her face. He mentally rolled his eyes. "Okay so I'll have two non-fat mochas… and one of those blueberry scones" he said, waggling a finger at the one that he wanted. Maybe a scone would make Finn feel better. Finn always did respond well to food…

"Thanks!" He smiled brightly at their barista and turned back to Finn. "Come on…" He grabbed his coffee, the scone and Finn's arm as he manoeuvred them towards a small round table. "I mean really… it's not that big a deal."

"Dude, it's totally a big deal!" Finn said, throwing up his arms in a defeated sort of gesture as he sat down in his chair with a disgruntled thump.

"Oh Finn, come on. He was just a guy. Rachel was just being nice to him! You've got to let it go. You know what I can't let go though?" he asked raising an eyebrow, a crooked smile playing on his lips. "The amount of flannel you are wearing. It is truly, truly concerning to me."

A delighted smile spread over Blaine's face when Kurt walked through the door. He turned quickly to toss his empty coffee cup in the nearby garbage, but when he turned back, he saw Kurt lay his hand on the arm of the hulking lumberjack who had come in with him.

Frozen mid-step, Blaine's brow furrowed into a distressed frown.

That wasn't Kurt's boyfriend… was it? It couldn't be. There way no way that Kurt could be in a relationship. Blaine figured himself a pretty good judge of character, and he couldn't see Kurt having held his hand, having _kissed_ him, if he'd had a boyfriend.

But still. As they made their way to their table, Blaine could see that the two were obviously comfortable with each other—despite the odd pair they made. He figured he had about two seconds to either duck out before Kurt noticed him standing there like and idiot, or muster up some courage and go over to their table.

Taking a deep breath, Blaine straightened his jacket, and ran a nervous hand over his hair to make sure it was all in place. Before he could talk himself out of it, he walked over to Kurt's table.

"Hey, Kurt," he couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks, or the way he was unable to stop the grin that spread over his face.

What. Even. If he hadn't been sitting so solidly in his chair, Kurt thought he might have fallen over with the pure shock of what, or rather, whom, was staring him straight in the face.

"_Blaine"_ he breathed. His eyes widened, and he was pretty sure his eyebrows had become a permanent fixture in the top of his hairline.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see the Warbler, in fact, nothing could have been farther from the truth. But, what on earth was Blaine doing at the Lima Bean? He didn't live close… why on earth would he come so far out of his way? Not that he was complaining, nope he was most definitely not complaining.

"Hey!" Kurt stammered almost nervously. He couldn't help himself though, and his lips curved into a smile as he looked up at Blaine. He couldn't help but notice the almost twinkling in Blaine's eyes and the way he just looked so happy to see him, and Kurt certainly couldn't help the way that his heart pounded in his chest and the way his stomach fluttered with warm, happy butterflies. He had to look away, he was staring again and he knew it, but Blaine's eyes, and his lips, the lips that he had kissed! He couldn't look away—

"AHEM"

_Finn_. Kurt had completely and utterly forgotten that Finn had even been there, and obviously Blaine had too by the look of surprise on the other boy's face.

Kurt turned his gaze to Finn, raising one of his perfectly sculpted eyebrows to let him know how thoroughly unimpressed with him he was right now. He had totally ruined the moment that he and Blaine were having, _and_ he had finished Kurt's half of their scone. Ugh.

"Finn," Kurt began gesturing towards Blaine "this is my friend Blaine, and Blaine, this is Finn".

"Hey, man! Nice to meet you!" Finn held out his hand for Blaine to shake. "Why don't you join us? Yeah! Have a seat, dude."

Blaine, slightly flustered, grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it up situating himself between Kurt and Finn.

"Sooooooo…" Finn began, turning to Kurt as Blaine sat, "How do we know Blaine? I mean, I didn't think you had too many friends outside of New Directions, especially friends that were boys and ones that I didn't know about, I mean … OW! DUDE?"

Kurt flashed Finn a demure grin as he kicked him under the table. He was going to kill his step-brother when they got home.

Blaine glanced down at his hands clasped nervously in his lap. He wished he'd kept the empty coffee cup so he'd have something to distract himself with. From what the lumberjack—Finn—was saying, it sounded like the two New Directions members were close. Really close.

"Kurt and I met at the masquerade ball the other night" He looked up from his lap, and fought the urge to glance at Kurt. He wished he'd never thought to come to The Lima Bean. This might be the most uncomfortable situation he had ever been a part of. If Finn was Kurt's boyfriend, and who else could he be, Blaine didn't think he could sit there and pretend like the Kiss had never happened.

Thinking about it, with Kurt's boyfriend right there, made Blaine feel faintly ill. Not because he felt guilty for kissing someone else's boyfriend… but because he didn't feel guilty at _all_. In fact, all Blaine wanted was to kiss Kurt again. And again. And knowing that he cared so little for hurting Finn's feelings (who clearly knew nothing about the Kiss, as he didn't even know who Blaine was), made Blaine feel like a monster. "Uh, look, you guys are obviously in the middle of something here. I don't want to interrupt." Blaine moved hastily to get up, but Kurt's hand shot out and rested on the Warbler's forearm.

"Stay."

Blaine felt his mouth go dry, and he slowly eased back into the chair, careful, oh so careful, not to move as though to dislodge Kurt's hand from his arm. Despite the wool of his winter coat between them, he swore he could feel the heat of Kurt's hand on his flesh.

"Okay." His eyes met Kurt's, and he had to remind himself to breathe. Forcing himself to turn to Finn, Blaine plastered a smile on his face. "Have the New Directions chosen a song for Sectionals yet?"


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt felt Blaine's arm stiffen beneath his fingers, and frowned as the other boy slowly pulled his forearm out from under Kurt's hand. What had he done? Was Blaine suddenly uncomfortable with Kurt touching him? He certainly hadn't minded at the Ball last weekend… Granted, Kurt had felt something akin to electricity run through his fingertips as he'd grabbed onto Blaine's wrist, and it _had_ been a little bit intense… _Maybe I spooked him? _Kurt thought with a frown.

"Ugh. No. Like we'd tell you anyways, dude…"

Kurt was pulled from his reverie at this statement. He'd forgotten Blaine had even asked a question. He was too busy trying to figure out what he'd done to suddenly mess up their… whatever this was.

"Finn! That was terribly rude. You can't just say things like that," Kurt snapped at his brother.

"But, dude. He's like our biggest competition, and you saw him last weekend, the Garglers are like actually good. I might not be the sharpest crayon in the drawer, or whatever, but I'm not going to spill our competition secrets to some dude we barely know."

Kurt rolled his eyes dramatically. Competition secrets? Yeah right. If the New Directions weren't working out their set list about five seconds before they were about to perform, Kurt would eat his own, admittedly fabulous, shoes. Whatever this was about (and it was almost definitely about Rachel), it had nothing to do with Blaine. Finn needed to leave, and he needed to leave now. Kurt was not going to stand idly by and watch as Finn ruined a perfectly good evening, with a perfectly adorable Warbler.

"Oh! Look at the time! Finn, don't you need to get home? Don't you need to call Rachel and remind her to do that thing about that super secret Sectionals secret?" Kurt smiled, and winked in Blaine's direction.

"Kurt," Finn started, his usual perplexed look on his face. "Did you hit your head or something, dude? I thought that was what helmets were f-"

"No, _Finn_. You remember. How you _need. To. Leave. Now._" Kurt punctuated each word, hoping that Finn would wipe the constipated monkey look off of his face and just leave already.

"Yeah, dude… I guess I do need to call Rachel…" He got up, scratching his head. "Right, well, see you later, Kurt. Blaine, dude. Super nice to meet you. I'll see you around." He left with a wave and a half smile.

Blaine fidgeted in his seat as the doors closed behind Finn's retreating back. He still couldn't look at Kurt—because if he did, he knew he'd never stop looking. He didn't want to be this tangled up in a boy he hardly knew. A boy who already had a boyfriend.

He stood up abruptly, "I-I really should go, Kurt." Still without looking at the other boy, he bolted from the coffee shop. Once outside, the cold air hit him like a slap to the face, and he felt tears well in his eyes as he rounded the corner of the shop and leaned back against the rough brick wall.

Eyes screwed shut, he knocked his head back against the brick. What was he even thinking, showing up at Kurt's hang out? Why had he even bothered? Sebastian had been right, pursuing this any further only led to disappointment. It was foolish to think that anything else could have topped the careful stillness of the night of the masquerade. He should have just left it as that—a perfect moment. Asking for more was simply tempting fate.

After all, he had known nothing about the boy from McKinley High when they had stepped out into the still winter night. Hadn't known anything but his name. And that he had the most beautiful eyes Blaine had ever seen.

Cursing himself, he pressed his palms back against the wall, feeling the hard stone bite into his skin as he sucked in an unsteady breath of the frigid winter air.

"Blaine,"

His eyes flew open at Kurt's voice, it was gentle, quiet, and full of concern, yet it still did something to make his insides flutter. Kurt stood in front of him, his brow furrowed with worry, yet still looking achingly elegant in the light filtering out from the coffee shop windows. Blaine felt his hands fist at his sides, and found himself unwillingly taking a step forward. Kurt's soft blue eyes meeting his, as his head tilted questioningly to the side.

"What's wrong, Blaine?"

It didn't matter if Kurt had a boyfriend. It didn't matter if Blaine hated himself for feeling how he did. His jaw clenched, agonized by the emotions warring in his chest, as his eyes fell hungrily to Kurt's lips. Despair threatening to choke him, Blaine surged forward, closed the slight distance between them, and crushed his lips against Kurt's.

Whereas their first kiss had been sweetly delicate, this one was greedy and full of need. Blaine felt Kurt stiffen against him in shock, but soon he was pressing himself against Blaine, and they fell back against the wall. Blaine's hands slipped into Kurt's unzipped jacket, digging into the other boy's hips, pulling him closer, as Kurt made a sound of pleasure low in his throat.

Magical. That was the only word to describe it. Kurt wasn't sure when his boring, normal life had suddenly been swapped for a fairy tale, but he wasn't going to complain. This was amazing. He didn't know why Blaine was kissing him, he just knew that he loved the feeling of Blaine's lips on his and he didn't want him to stop. Ever.

"Oh my God," he breathed, letting a small contented sigh escape his lips

Blaine froze immediately. "Ohhhhh. I am such an idiot"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I can't believe I just did that"

"Neither can I, but I'm not complaining. I mean, I don't usually go around just kissing boys. Please, Blaine. But that was…"

"A mistake."

"What?"

"I… You… I mean you've got a BOYFRIEND. And we kissed. TWICE. I never thought I'd be the other man… Sebastian was right. This was totally a mistake. I shouldn't have assumed…"

"Wait. I've got what?"

"A boyfriend."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. What sort of weird alternate universe was this, and how did it somehow become his life.

"Blaine, I can guarantee you. I do _not_ have a boyfriend"

"But… Finn…" Blaine trailed off.

"Is my step-brother" Kurt finished the sentence for him, barely containing a giggle.

"Wow," Blaine let out a long breath. "I really am clueless"


	6. Chapter 6

It was late when he got home. Later than he'd ever been. They had stayed at the coffee shop until it closed, and they were unceremoniously kicked to the curb. It had just been so easy to talk to Blaine, like they had known each other forever, they didn't even notice the time go by.

Blaine was just so lovely. Sometimes, Kurt would swear that they were the same person. And the kisses! He sighed happily as he entered the house. He was in his own little world, in his own thoughts, most, no, all of them about Blaine. He didn't even notice his father sitting in his armchair, tapping the arm rest impatiently. In hindsight, he should have expected the Spanish Inquisition that followed. But his head was so filled with Blaine! With Happy! With Amazing! To even think that far ahead.

"Hey, Buddy… Where've ya been?"

"Oh. Hey, Dad! Um… just… out with a friend" _the greatest most wonderful possible boyfriend EVER. _

"Finn came home over an hour ago… I was starting to get worried when he said you were with some guy. A… what did he call him? A stinkin' Warbler? What does that even mean? Is he part of some gang? Should I be worried? "

"Dad! Dad. It's okayyyyy" he said, elongating the last syllable, trying to keep his giggling in check. "Geez. It's just this guy named Blaine that I met the other day at Mr. Schue's inane show choir masquerade ball thingy. He's really nice. We just had coffee together." _He's amazing, and wonderful, and adorable and handsome and so, so kind. _He thought, trying to school his face into something that wasn't an idiotic grin.

"Well, alright then. I'm glad you're home, but I'm heading up to bed. You should too… there's this thing called school? You need to go to it tomorrow, remember?"

It was all he could do not to roll his eyes.

"Thanks dad, I'll be up in a minute."

"G'night, sport."

Kurt waved goodnight to his father, and sat on the couch, bringing out his phone. Before they'd left the coffee shop, Blaine had grabbed his phone and entered his phone number into it. Kurt thumbed through his contacts until he found it.

**K: Hey, Blaine! It's Kurt. I just wanted to say thanks for coffee tonight. It was fun! **

He bit his lip, and hit send. He barely had to wait five minutes for a reply.

Blaine tipped his head against the window of the bus as he watched the Christmas lights fly by. The soft smile on his face hadn't dimmed, even though it'd been nearly an hour since he'd seen Kurt.

_The lingering question kept me up / 2am who do you love / I wonder till I'm wide awake._

The song had been on repeat on his iPod since the night of the masquerade. He was usually such a top 40 fan, but ever since "Teardrops On My Guitar" he'd kind of been a huge, secret fan of Taylor Swift, and had all her albums. When he'd been left in the snow, staring after Kurt, he hadn't been able to get "Enchanted" out of his head, the song seeming to perfectly capture how he'd felt that evening. And moreso when he'd finally stumbled into bed, exhausted, but unable to stop thinking about the boy in the silver mask.

_All I know is I was / Enchanted to meet you._

His phone vibrated suddenly in his pocket, and his fingers pulled it out, clumsy when he saw a text from an unfamiliar number. Reading it, he grinned, and immediately added Kurt's number into his phone before he texted back.

**B: Hi Kurt :)** He paused, not sure how to continue. Not sure if saying what he wanted to say would come off as pathetic, or stupid. But this night had been so perfect, and the night of the masquerade had been so perfect, and he was the kind of guy that said how he felt... he didn't like to play games or pretend that he was something that he wasn't. Biting his lip, he finished the text. **You've left me wonderstruck.**

_This night is sparkling / Don't you let it go / I'm wonderstruck / Blushing all the way home._

He quickly shoved the phone back in his pocket. He could feel a stupid grin tug at the corners of his mouth. Maybe it had been a silly text, and if Kurt decided that Blaine was incredibly lame and never wanted to speak to him again, well... that would suck. A lot. But at least Blaine would know he'd been honest. Leaning his head back against the window, he could feel his cheeks heat up with a blush as he waited, heart in his throat, for Kurt to reply.

_I'll spend forever / Wonderin' if you knew / I was enchanted to meet you._

-  
>Wonderstruck? <em>Wonderstruck?<em> _WONDERSTRUCK! _Wonderstruck.

It wasn't even funny how fast and how hard Kurt was falling for this boy. He was wonderful, he was romantic, he was adorable and he knew all the words to a Taylor Swift song... It was hard to tell, but Kurt was _pretty_ sure he wasn't entirely making him up in his head. Well... at least 95% sure.

The 5% doubt came from the fact that Blaine had been "_wonderstruck_." He found it a little bit hard to believe that he had been able to cast any sort of spell over Blaine. Blaine was so cool, so composed, so dapper, and Kurt had kind of been like a flailing elephant on a tightrope with roller-blades in every single one of their encounters. Well, at least it felt that way.

How was he supposed to respond to this text though? This perfect text. "_You left me wonderstruck." _There was no possible way to even respond to it without sounding ridiculous. Like, what could he even SAY to that?

Hmm...

_"Thanks" _No. Definitely not. Way to sound cocky, Kurt.

_"I love you" _Um. What? Where did that come from? Who said that? Shut UP inner thinky voice!

Um...

Ten minutes later, he still had not thought of anything even remotely good to text back to Blaine. This was starting to get ridiculous. It was just a text. He shouldn't be putting that much thought into it.

_Why is this so stressful!_ He thought to himself as he turned on his iPod and sat at his vanity to do his moisturising routine. He had zoned out for a minute, or five, ten at the most before:

_Your eyes whispered "have we met?"/ Across the room your silhouette starts to make it's way to me_

The shuffle gods were reading his mind. Except... this was Owl City.

_The playful conversation starts/ Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy/ All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you_

**K: Blaine, I was enchanted to meet you too. **


End file.
